"Convinced that it can also go fast on the road" - Marianne Vos foresees van Empel's road brilliance after Worlds championship win

Over the years, the world of women's cycling has evolved, with the Marianne Vos era paving the way for the up-and-coming talents of Fem van Empel, marking the dawn of a new generation in the competitive landscape of cyclocross.

Despite the emergence of a new generation of talent exemplified by the triumph of the youthful Fem van Empel at the World Championship, it would be inaccurate to suggest that the older riders in the sport of cyclocross have become obsolete or lost relevance.

The former world champion, Marianne Vos, acknowledges that youthful competitors are overflowing with energy and capable of delivering noteworthy outcomes in the cross as well as road cycling.”Fem has a lot of potential. That is of course already apparent in the cross. I am actually convinced that it can also go fast on the road," Vos told  IndeLeiderstrui. 

She further added, “I think that Fem herself knows very well what she can do and what she wants. It's not like I literally take on that role of mentor. But you take each other along and you ask each other for advice. That goes back and forth. I think that will happen very naturally. As far as I know Fem now, she is very easy to deal with. She is very eager to learn and picks things up very quickly.”

Lucinda Brand is one of the riders who had a number of prosperous cross seasons in the past while Vos was focusing on road racing. Although she only attained bronze at Hoogerheide, it indicates her relevance.

The presence of younger riders does not make her feel defeated, instead, it motivates her to work harder on herself. “You always aim for the highest, winning. But you also have to be realistic and then I knew that Fem and Puck are physically stronger than me after this season. They just trigger me to work hard on the points in which I can become stronger. Some things go less as you get older, but there is still a lot to improve," concluded Brand.